How to Use Baking Soda for Yellow Teeth, Body Odor, Oily Hair, and Acne

Baking soda is one of the most versatile kitchen ingredients you can find anywhere. What’s interesting is that there are more uses of baking soda in the alternative medicine and beauty regimen than in the kitchen.

The many uses of this alkaline substance are due to its powerful antiseptic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties.

When using it for your skin and hair care, you should first make a patch test to see if your skin is sensitive to it. Also, you should only use it for a short period of excessive use might cause skin and hair damage.

Here are the top eleven uses of baking soda for your skin, hair, teeth, and body.

1. Brightens Yellow Teeth

The mild abrasive properties of baking soda will make your teeth perfectly white. It neutralizes acids produced by bacteria, thus removing yellow stains and plaque.

How to Use

Add some baking soda to the toothpaste you use and brush your teeth using your toothbrush for two minutes. Repeat once a day for a couple of days.

Another option is to add three tablespoons of baking soda and four teaspoons of turmeric powder into three tablespoons of extra-virgin coconut oil. Stir well and use the paste to brush your teeth once a day. use this natural teeth whitener for a few days.

Note – Do not use baking soda for too long as it can damage your tooth enamel.

2. Fights Pimples and Acne

There’s no need for harsh chemicals for treating your pimples and acne. The anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties of baking soda target the culprit of acne and other breakouts.

What’s more, it helps lower the occurrence of these breakouts by balancing the skin’s pH.

How to Use

Make a paste by mixing a teaspoon of baking soda and some water. Apply it on your pimples or other skin breakouts and let it stay for around two minutes. Wash it off with cold water and do this every day for two or three days. After that, repeat once or twice a week.

3. Alleviates Sunburn and Sunburn Blisters

Baking soda has an alkaline nature that helps relieve the itching and burning sensation of sunburned skin. What’s more, its mild drying and antiseptic properties speed up the drying of sunburn blisters.

How to Use

Fill a cup with cold water and add one or two tablespoons of baking soda. Mix well and soak a washcloth in the baking soda solution. Then, squeeze out the excess liquid and place it on the affected area.

Let it stay for 5-10 minutes. Do this two or three times daily, until your sunburns are relieved.

Another option is to soak in a bath where you’ve added a half a cup of baking soda. Enjoy for 10-15 minutes, and towel dry, or air dry your body. Repeat once a day for a couple of days.

4. Gets Rid of Stained or Yellow Nails

No one likes yellow or stained nails, so having such nails can make you hide them in your pockets. Luckily, baking soda has exfoliating and bleaching properties which can help get rid of the nasty nail stains.

How to Use

Add one tablespoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide in half a cup of water and mix well. Then, dip your stained or yellow nails in the baking soda solution for two to three minutes. Do this nail treatment once every other week.

Another option is to make a paste using a tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide and two and a half tablespoons of baking soda. Then, apply the paste on the affected nails using a cotton swab. Let it stay for two minutes and then just wash it off with warm water. Do this once in 60 days.

5. Improves Skin Complexion

If you have an uneven skin tone, or you want a brighter tone, here’s a simple and inexpensive solution. Baking soda has good exfoliating properties which help eliminate dead cells. What’s more, it balances the skin’s pH levels, helping to maintain an even skin tone.

How to Use

Make a paste using some rose water or filtered water and one to two teaspoons of baking soda. Apply it on your face and let it stay for one minute before rubbing it off with the tips of your fingers. But make sure you do this gently to prevent any skin damage.

Then just rinse your face with lukewarm water and towel dry for a brighter skin. Repeat once or twice per week. And, don’t forget to use a moisturizer after the baking soda treatment.

As an alternative, mix four to five drops of extra-virgin olive oil with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and a tablespoon of baking soda. Apply the mixture on your face and let it act for five minutes before washing it off with cold water. Do this treatment two or three times weekly.

6. Silky Hands

Your hands are exposed to different environmental pollutants and chemicals every day, so it’s not weird if you have rough skin. Luckily, you can use baking soda to make them soft and smooth once again, free of dead skin cells.

How to Use

Mix a tablespoon of honey with some baking soda to form a paste. Then, rub it all over your hands and nails.

7. Eliminates Body Odor

You can use this natural ingredient to eliminate mild to severe body odor. What baking soda does is absorbing the sweat and moisture from the skin, thus decreasing the body odor. What’s more, it possesses antibacterial properties which help destroy bacteria responsible for the unpleasant odor.

How to Use

Mix a tablespoon of water, half a teaspoon of baking soda, and a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil. Rub the solution on areas you sweat excessively like your underarms. Do this treatment regularly to prevent and reduce body odor.

Another option is to mix cornstarch and baking soda in equal ratio. Dust the powder on the areas you expect to sweat most.

8. Treats Smelly and Oily Hair

If you have an oily hair, the chances are you have a smelly hair too. This is because oily hair accumulates strong smells and environmental pollutants more easily than a regular one.

But, baking soda can help solve this embarrassing problem as it neutralizes odors and reduces hair oiliness. Also, it has an alkaline nature which balances the scalp’s pH level, thus maintaining it clean and healthy.

How to Use

Mix water and baking soda in 3:1 ratio. Apply the solution to your damp hair and let it stay for five minutes before rinsing it off. Do this hair treatment once or twice monthly.

Another option is to add a tablespoon of this ingredient to your standard shampoo bottle and use it once or twice weekly.

As an alternative, use it as a dry shampoo. Mix some cornstarch and baking soda in 1:1 ratio, and sprinkle a bit on your hair roots. Then, just tousle your hair. Finally, brush your hair, and you’ll no longer have an oily hair.

9. Removes Dandruff

You might find hard to get rid of dandruff, but it’s not something impossible. Using baking soda in the right way can help remove dandruff from your hair and scalp. It’ll also balance the scalp’s pH levels.

How to Use

You’ll need a tablespoon of baking soda to rub it onto your wet scalp and hair. Let it stay for a minute and then just wash it off with water. Repeat this hair treatment once per week.

Another way to use baking soda to fight dandruff is to mix one teaspoon of it with freshly squeezed juice of one lemon. Apply the mixture on your scalp and let it act for up to three minutes before rinsing it off. Do this once per week to reduce and prevent dandruff.

10. Treats Skin Rashes and Itchiness

Another great use of baking soda is relieving skin rashes and itchiness. Its anti-inflammatory properties help soothe and reduce itching, inflammation, and swelling.

How to Use

Add three parts of baking soda in one part of water for localized itching. Apply it on the itching area and let it act for a few minutes before washing it off with cool water. Do this once a day, until you get positive results.

To treat itching all over your body, soak in a bath that includes a cup of baking soda for ten minutes. Enjoy this soothing bath every day until you get relief.

Note – Do not use baking soda for too irritated and broken skin.

11. Treats Nail Fungus

This nail infection is pretty ugly, making your nails thick, crusty, distorted and discolored. Luckily, baking soda has an alkaline nature that helps stop the development of fungi.

Another option is to mix warm water with one to two teaspoons of baking soda. Apply the paste on the affected nails and let it stay for a few minutes. Finally, wash it off with warm water. Do this nail treatment once a day.